Green Bay Packers vs. St. Louis Rams: 10 Keys to the Game for St. Louis

The Green Bay Packers come to St. Louis this weekend to play the Rams in a surprisingly pivotal Week 7 matchup.

Both teams arrive at this point in the season with identical 3-3 records.

That is shocking to fans on many levels, no more so than when you remember the Packers lost only one regular season game last year. The Rams won just two.

Both teams have had up-and-down, inconsistent efforts this season.

The Packers have looked great in their wins against the Bears and Texans, but they have looked horrible in losing to the Seahawks and Colts.

Similarly, the Rams have looked like legitimate contenders in their wins against Washington, Seattle and Arizona. But their performances against Chicago and Miami (both losses) have left Rams fans confused.

The Packers are favored by less than a touchdown on the road in St. Louis. Considering how each team looked at the start of the season, Rams fans should be optimistic and Packers fans should be nervous entering this matchup.

Here are 10 (not so obvious) keys to the game for St. Louis. No "score more points than the opposition" slides here.

Time of Possession

I hate relying on cliches, but the Rams must control the clock against the explosive Packers offense.

That has been a problem for this Rams team, as they rank 20th overall in time of possession (29:27 per game).

Lucky for the Rams, the Packers have the same issues, as they rank 21st overall (29:10 per game).

But against the Packers, it is not enough to just win the time of possession battle.

You must dominate it.

The Packers are much more efficient with the ball compared to the Rams.

The Packers rank 12th overall in points per play. That may seem mediocre, but this Packers offense is largely the same from last year's overall No. 1 rated. The Packers offense will get better, and probably very soon.

The Rams rank 23rd overall in points per play. While that is a far improvement from last year (32nd overall), the Rams must be able to heavily dominate the clock to cover the difference in efficiency.

Keep Sam Bradford Upright

That has been hard for the Rams this season, as they have allowed an average of three sacks per game (fifth-most overall).

Fortunately, the Packers give up more sacks per game (3.8) than the Rams, but that number is inflated by the eight sacks allowed in the Seattle game. We've also seen that the Packers offense is much more than capable of making up lost yards.

If the Rams give up three or four sacks against Green Bay, they will be in trouble.

I would look at the games the Rams played against Detroit and Washington (similar offenses to Green Bay). In those two games, the Rams gave up just three sacks combined.

The Rams were able to avoid the drive-killing sacks in those games, and that was seen ultimately on the scoreboard.

The Rams have completed five plays of 40 yards or more, which ranks third overall. However, on plays 20 yards or longer, the Rams rank 29th overall.

I'm not saying that the Rams need to throw a handful of 50-yard bombs downfield, but they need more than just one or two sizable gains.

If the Rams can produce five or six plays of 20 yards or longer, they should be in good shape to keep pace with the Packers.

We know Givens is going to get his one huge play downfield, but other receivers like Brian Quick, Brandon Gibson or even Lance Kendricks need to find an opening and chew up 20-25 yards on a passing play.